BATTLES OF WORLD WAR I
Fact or Factoid?
• WW1 was the bloodiest war in history at
the time that it started.
First Battle of the Marne
September 5 -10, 1914
German plans for the
Western Front began to
fall apart in September
of 1914.
As the German right flank
drove deeper, it was
separated from the rest
of the invading German
force. This made it
vulnerable and forced
the Germans pulled up
twenty-five miles short
of Paris.
This was France’s chance
to attack. What
followed was the First
Battle of the Marne
where the German
advance was stopped
Major Battles and Events
• Marne – 1914- The French stop the German advance and ruins
the Schlieffen Plan.
• After this point the war becomes a stalemate and they dig into
the Trenches.
• The front lines change little for the rest of the war.
• 263,000 casualties (dead or wounded soldiers)
• Lasted ~one week
• Verdun- 1916• Place of Legendary battles
• German offensive goal to kill enough soldiers to get other side to
surrender.
• Started with a heavy artillery attack
• Lasted 10 months
• 1 million dead or wounded (casualties)
• Somme - 1916- The British try to break the German lines.
• Fought at same time as Verdun in attempt to relieve pressure.
• Artillery bombardment for 7 days believed to destroy Germans.
• When the British advances across no mans land they are cut
down. 20,000 in one day.
• 1 million dead or wounded in six months, 6 miles changed hands
Battle of the Marne Sept.-Nov. 1914
•Germans encounter heavy
resistance at the Marne River
•French & Germans dig
defensive trenches
•Halts German offensive
Battles on the Western Front
While people on the home front supported their troops, the war
in Western Europe was going badly for the Allied Powers.
The Battle of Verdun
• Believed French would defend
fortress at all costs
• Battle of Verdun meant to kill,
injure as many French soldiers as
possible
• 400,000 French casualties in 10
months of fighting, almost as
many for Germany
Verdun
• Battles of Attrition
--German attack opened by
most massive military
bombardment in history
--longest single battle of the
war
~600,000 men died
The Battle of Verdun
February 21. 1916 – Dec. 18 1916
The Allies had planned to launch a
joint French and British assault
in the region of the Somme. The
target date was the middle of
1916. However, in February the
Allied plan was upset when the
Germans began an assault on
the fortress-ringed city of
Verdun. The belief was that
Verdun was essential to the
French that France would fight
to the death. On February 21,
the German artillery barrage
began and, for the next several
months both sides unleashed
soldiers and shells at each By
Christmas, when the battle
finally ended, 800,000 men had
lost their lives.
One hundred and twenty-five miles
northwest of Verdun, the British
and French armies joined at the
Somme river. A French-British
offensive was planned here for
1916 to relieve pressure on the
French at Verdun.
The Battle of the Somme
July 1,1916 –November 1916
The Allies had planned to launch a joint
French and British assault in the
region of the Somme. The target date
was the middle of 1916. However, in
February the Allied plan was upset
when the Germans began an assault
on the fortress-ringed city of Verdun.
The belief was that Verdun was essential
to the French that France would fight
to the death. On February 21, the
German artillery barrage began and,
for the next several months both
sides unleashed soldiers and shells
at each By Christmas, when the battle
finally ended, 800,000 men had lost
their lives.
During this horrendous fighting, the
French sent frantic appeals to Sir
Douglas Haig, the new British
commander, to hasten the Somme
offensive and to take the pressure off
Verdun.
Battle of the Somme July-Nov. 1916
•British & French felt a massive assault on German forces
would turn tide of war.
•After a week of constant bombardment, the British came
out of their trenches.
•By the end of the first day, British casualties were 110, 000
(19,000 dead).
BATTLE OF THE SOMME
• 1 July 1916
• British suffered 57,470 casualties
• 19,240 deaths.
Battle of the Somme 1916
•Britain lost 420,000 France-200,000; Germany-650,000.
•More British soldiers died in the first three days at the Somme than
Americans in WWI, Korea & Vietnam combined.
•Ends in a Stalemate